


Lovely lies

by rusalka_dances_the_polka



Category: Tangled (2010), Tangled: The Series (Cartoon)
Genre: Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 21:38:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15693876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rusalka_dances_the_polka/pseuds/rusalka_dances_the_polka
Summary: A series of oneshots about all the things her mother told her to keep her from growing…





	1. Just teasing...

„Oh now don’t look so sad dear. Smile! You got a beautiful smile! Prettiest one I ever saw on a face – and tears make you ugly, you know?“ She scrunched up her face in an imitation of her daughters, curling her bottom lip outward and hanging her tounge halfway out. „Like an ugly little gnome.“ She smiled down at her daughter and added winking „just teasing.“ She then turned away to take her cloak off a hook, while Rapunzel tried to catch her sobbing breath, hastily wiping away the tears streaming down her face and pressing her lips into a wide smile for her mother. 

Who was leaving. Again. 

„It’s not like I want to leave you and spent my time out there! Do you have any idea how horrible it is? No you don’t – and that’s because I’m keeping you here, where no one can hurt you!“ She had fastended her cloaks clasps and turned around to face her daughter. Crouching down to her eye level she said grinning: „Now that’s better. No more tears from my little flower!“ She ruffled Rapunzels Hair, making the little girl smile, while saying „I love you so much, you know? And outside… Well… If people knew about you, they’d steal you from me and then slit my throat. So… you have to stay here and wait for me like a good girl alright?“ She had motioned her finger from left to right in a cutting gesture in front of her throat while saying this. Causing Rapunzel to feel the tears well up in her eyes again. Gothel took her in her arms and while petting her head she chided „No crying“. Her voice was soft but it made Rapunzel feel like being caught for doing something wrong, still it made her curl into the embrace even more. „I know that you can do this Rapunzel. You’re seven years old! You’re old enough to take care of yourself and you even manage to prepare your own food!“ Gothel took her daughter by the shoulders, held her at arms length, looked into her eyes to tell her: „I’m so proud of my crafty little girl, so don’t be selfish about this okay?“

Rapunzel swallowed and nodded again. She loved her mommy so much… how could she not try to do what was asked of her? Even though she was horribly worried for her mother everytime she was away where the bad people and dangerous animals lived, even though she was feeling so alone it hurt, when her mother was away and even though she sometimes cried herself into terrified exhaustion after a nightmare... She wanted to make her mother proud and be a good girl. 

„I love you mommy.“ She said and her mother answered „I love you more.“

She smiled when Gothel stepped on the windowsill, took hold oft he pulley, that she used to get up and down and sang „See you in a week my floweeeer!“.

„What’s that I see? You‘re crying?“ Gothel asked in a bemused tone. She had turned around in her chair after she heard the knife clutter on the wooden countertop of their little kitchen. „No, no it just stings. My eyes watered up.“ Rapunzel hastily tried to wipe her hand with a tablecloth before starting to wrap a strand of golden hair around the bleeding hand.

She had been cutting up some roots, while happily chatting to her mother who had just returned from a week long trip. After Rapunzel had sung to her, she told her that she was hungry. Her daughter had hurried into the kitchen, taking the food her mother had brought with her, while Gothel had stayed in her seat, in front oft he fireplace. 

„Och Rapunzel“ she heard her mother say, „you’re so clumsy, it’s hard to believe you’re fourteen years old. Grown up almost. I swear you’d have crippled yourself by now if it weren’t for that hair“, „I know mother“ Rapunzel mumbled, causing her mother to lean back into her chair again, sighing. „Speak clearly child! Siriously Rapunzel! You’re still a little gnome? What next?“ She said, the words coming out in a mix between a huff and a chuckle „you’re really going to start crying?“ 

Rapunzels hand stopped at that, her expression frozen exept for a few blinks from empty eyes. Feeling the shift in her daughters mood Gothel looked towards her again „Oh dear, don’t be offended. You know I’m just teasing…“ she said and turned towards the fireplace again before adding: „You’re too pretty to cry anyways. Now hurry up with that, dinner doesn’t cook itself.“

Rapunzel started to sing.


	2. Floating lights

She looked at her, a forlorn expression on her face that her mother couldn’t see. Gothel had turned her back on her, while taking her cape from the hook.

„Rapunzel, Rapunzel.“ She repeated „that idea is just demented. Why whould I ever have promised you something like that!?“ She laughed and turned around to take her daughter by the arm, pulling her towards the window. Pushing her forward forcefully to make her look outside. „But if you want to go that desperately, just go. Look at flowers and trees… see if i care… I only held and fed and sang and gave everything to protect you from that world outside there. Sounds just like me to tell you to jump down there and frolic around.“ She paused before continuing in a high voice, a mock version of her daughter „Just a few minutes, just the cove, whatever could happen?“ 

Rapunzel had asked her again today. Her birthday was in a few months time so she had this idea that maybe… if she could get her mother to allow her to just go down, just to the trees and back, not leaving the cove. If that was possible then maybe, just maybe… she would allow her to see the floating lights later. Her mother kept saying they were stars, wandering along the nightsky during her birthday, but… that didn’t seem right. She had obsessed over stars for past few years. Tracking them, drawing them on her ceiling. But these lights… they were different. 

Spring was coming and some of the trees were blooming now and she just wanted to see them up close, touch them. Just a few minutes in the sun, just a moment. That wasn’t too much to ask, was it? She had once told her she could do that when she was older, hadn’t she? And she was older now. Almost grown up… or had she never told her?

Rapunzel struggled against her, while her mother pulled her forward towards the open window as if to make her jump. She pressed her hands against the windowsilll and frame, while her mother sidled up behind her, purring into her ear „See, that’s why I always tell you, that you’re naive, my flower. You want to see the good out there, the beauty… but let me tell you my dear… All this…?“ she waved at the landscape before Rapunzels eyes „…is just a pretty facade. You don’t see the danger underneath all that green… the poison ivy, stinging-nettles or even poisonous mushrooms all around. One wrong step and you’ll get stung by angry ants, huge spiders, centipedes, scorpions or even worse, a snake! One bite… and everything is over. And haven’t I told you that I can’t keep wild animals out of this cove? Who knows if a wolf or bear isn‘t down there right now, waiting for a snack?“ Her mother snapped her teeth shut at her last words before laughing again „But what do I know? I’m just your nagging old mother…“

Rapunzel swallowed, looking at the Trees, the flowers on the meadow surronding her tower, drenched in the light oft he morning sun. It looked so beautiful… How could it be so dangerous?  
Would she ever get to feel grass underneath her feet? She was almost 16 now… 

 

„See the stars? Oh no dear, that’s much to dangerous!“ Her mother didn’t even look up from the cutting board „But… you said…“ Rapunzel tried again only to be interrupted by her mother „…That we could go see the stars at your birthday? Please Rapunzel, you must have dreamed that up. I never told you that!“ She turned around and bent down to her daughter to throw the cut up parsnips into the pot her daughter was holding up, knocking a few times lightly at her head „You’re too old to always daydream my dear… You need to start living in reality.“ 

Rapunzel looked into the half filled pot. Mother was making hazelnut soup. Her favorite. It was the middle of winter, so they still had a full stock of the little nuts and were able to eat it almost every other day, while it became a treat during summers. She had let the nuts soak already during the night. She held the pot up, waiting for her mother to fill it with the rest of the roots.  
Rapunzel had tried to ask her mother about seeing the stars again. 

The night before, she had read a book about a girl telling her wish to a shooting star and that wish came true and then during the night… she had dreamed of the floating lights. She dreamed she was flying among them in a boat, surrounded by uncountable golden lights in the dark night. Somehow she knew that telling them a wish would make it come true, she just couldn't remember that wish...  
„But Mommy, I just really want to look at those stars. Maybe… maybe if I tell them a wish it could come true?“ Her mother lifted an eyebrow and gave her a condescending smile „A wish? Now how did you come up with such a harebrained idea?“ Rapunzel looked at her insecurely „Um… I read this story about shooting stars…“ Her mother had turned around again, to cut up more parsnips and laughed before saying „Oh dear flower… Are you even listensing? Stop daydreaming and start living in reality.“, „But the stars… they’re moving, mother! Like shooting stars, so I thought…“, 

„You thought?“ her mother cackled „You thought they were shooting stars just because they’re moving? Oh you fatuous little thing! It’s called ‚shooting star‘ not ‚floating star‘! Yours are just a bunch of regular stars, dear. Nothing special about them. You can’t just go and look at them. They’re wandering the night sky! What am I supposed to do!? Take you to the moon?“ She stopped and giggled at the thought for a moment before adding „And what’s this about wishes? Whatever could you wish for? Don’t you have everything you need here with me?“ She turned to look at a Rapunzel over her shoulder „You know, the way you talk I could think you’re ungrateful, my flower. All I do for you… and you can’t think about anything else but going outside.“ The girl looked down, her eyes somber. She already knew what was coming now… „I’m just telling you as it is. As soon as we’d step outside, there’s a bunch of thugs just waiting for a chance like this. I guarantee you they’ll kidnap you as soon as they see your hair. Selling you to the highest bidder like a slave to never see your dear mother again. Not to mention what they could do to the both of us. I told you how violent and cruel people are…“  
Rapunzel once again asked herself if she would ever see the world outside… Was it really that scary? She was ten years old now. She didn’t feel afraid but mother said that’s because she didn’t know the world outside. And that was true… But those stars… they captivated her. Her biggest wish was to touch them one day… to see those lights up close, to float with them…

„Rapunzel!“ Her mother snapped her fingers into her face, rolling her eyes and stemming a hand to her hips „Honestly! Could you stop daydreaming for just a moment? No wonder you always come up with pipe dreams, if you’re not able to listen for more than five minutes… Take that pot and put it on the stove as I told you“ Rapunzel staggered and said „Yes, mother“, shuffling over and huffing to put the heavy pot onto the stove. Her mother rubbed at her temples „I bet that’s because of those books. You’re spending too much time getting weird ideas from them…“

Rapunzel hastily changed the topic at that „Oh mommy… um… did you see? It snowed tonight!“ Her mother gave her a wry smile „Oh no… it snowed tonight? You don’t say? However would I notice?! I was just the one who had to gather all this firewood in the freezing cold this morning.“ She gave her daughter a deadpanned look who grinned insecurely, twirling a strand of hair around her finger „Eheh… yeah… it’s pretty cold, isn’t it? Good thing you have those boots right? I think my toes would fall off…“ She stepped onto a stool and started to stir the pot while mumbling to herself „Wonder what that much snow feels like…“ Her mother had stepped behind her and grinned, startling her daughter when she started to speak „It feels like a thousand little needles on your skin. Want to try? I might let you outside if you promise to stay inside the cove. Guess a few minutes in all that glittering, pretty snow won’t hurt.“ Rapunzel froze but tried to keep a cheerful mode „Oh… hah… sure, I’d like that… just maybe another day?“ She heard her mother chuckle behind her „Yes… another day.“

 

Mommy was in a good mood. They had built a pillowfort in their sitting window and had snuggled up, watching the dusk. Usually her mother would have sent her to bed earlier, but her mother had had been away the night before and so Rapunzel had made it a special effort to do something nice for her. After all she had been outside where the dangerous people lived. She didn’t know how to cook yet, but she had cut little strawberries in half, arranging them into little hearts and flowers on a platter, for her to eat while she sang to her and gave her feet a massage. Rapunzel always loved when her mother gave her feet a massage. And of course she told her mother that she loved her very, very much and how happy she was that the bad guys didn’t get her. 

Her mother was so pleased with her, that she told her, she had a surprise for her! She was allowed to stay up longer than usual, while they drank tea together and her mother sang to her, read to her from her books and brushed her hair. She had almost slipped into sleep when her mother told her „Look, my flower! See that?“ She pointed through the round pieces of lead glass. Rapunzels eyes widened in wonder and she was suddenly wide awake. She could make out little lights, crawling up the night sky outside her tower. "I want to see them better" she shouted as she jumped out of her mothers arms and raced to the other side of the room, climbing up the windowsill of the other window, where no glass obscured her view. She remembered! She remebered those lights from her last birthday! She had been awakened by them the last time and had crept downstairs to see them better. They floated through the nightsky and she had sat down on the floor, watching them mesmerized. This year she even reached the windowsill.

„Rapunzel careful!“ She felt her mother grab her from behind, pulling her up, so she could sit down on the windowsill, her mother still holding her steady. „You’re going to hurt yourself dear“ she chided. „What are those mommy?“ The girl asked in wonder. Her mother looked out of the window „Floating lights“ she answered simply „They appear each year at your birthday, when it’s night. And if you’ve been a good little girl, like today, I might let you watch them every year.“ She smiled at her daughter, who squealed a little before looking out again to the nightsky. „Mommy,…“ she asked „can we one day go and visit them? I mean, watch them up close?“ Her mother stroke her blonde hair and kissed the crown of her head before answering „Well, one day, when you’re all grown up? Why not?“ She hugged her daughter from behind „Happy fifth birthday, my flower!“.


	3. Positively grubby

„Mhmm… Rapunzel darling, I have to admit: your baking is heavenly! This pie is delicious“ Gothel sat in her armchair in front of a sizzling fire, chewing on a forkful of her daughters bimberry pie. „Thank you mother!“ Rapunzel beamed at her mother as she sat on a stool in front of her with her own plate of pie, balancing on her knees. 

„Now if we could just say the same about your manners… you have pie crumbs on you chin, my flower.“ She chuckled as Repunzel felt at her chin and tried to lick the crumbs away „like a five-year old…“.

 

„What do you think mother?“ Rapunzel stepped in front oft he mirror, looking at herself and spinning around. She had finished a new dress she had spent almost a month on, embroidered with her own designs. Her mother gave her a warm smile as she looked at her daughters happy expression „It is gorgeous my flower, you look enchanting… That really is one of your best works!“ She paused and said „I’ll be able to sell it for a really good price.“ Rapunzel paused at that… she had actually planned to keep it herself, since she had made it from different remaining fabrics. Her mother had said she could do whatever she wanted with them, since there was not left enough for a whole dress of each.

„Oh… um… I thought maybe I could keep it myself?“ She told her mother impishly and twirled another time around herself.

The dress had a open front skirt, made from a dusty rose coton. A forest green outerskirt made of delicate batiste, that Rapunzel had embroidered on the hem with flowers and ranks on top. Underneath this, the second outerskirt was visible at the front as well. It was made from an emerald batiste and fixated to the outerskirt with little red bows. The corset was covered by the same dark rusty cotton as the bows and had a teal green lacing on the back. The aquamarine top was made from fine batiste as well. She was not wearing the matching, embroidered, kerchied made of silk. Instead holding it in her hand to trail behind her through the air. The fabrics worked really well together. She felt different in this dress somehow… comfortable. Grown up. It was not a very highclass dress, so she hoped she could keep it.

She heard her mother cackle, giving her a sceptical look when she stepped behind her daughter at the mirror, putting her hands on her shoulders and a stop to her spinning. „Keep it for yourself? Please, Rapunzel, what do you need another dress for? To muck this one up as well with some of your paint or some clay from your pottery? Oh no, I know! How about crawling up and down the rafters in it, I’m sure you’ll look really ladylike doing it!“ Gothel took the kerchief from her and draped it across her cleavage. For a moment Rapunzel looked at her reflection like she wanted to say something, before letting her shoulders sink and look down.

„Oh now don’t be so touchy, child! I’m just doing you a favor. Those colours don’t really suit you anyways…“ her mother had laid her own head on her daughters shoulder looking into the mirror, smiling and Rapunzel looked up at her words „Don’t suit me?“, „Oh yes!“ Her mother laughed and pinched her cheek as well as her hip „they make you look a bit chubby to be honest.“

 

„Oh! I have something to show you mother!“ Rapunzel exclaimed, panting as soon as her mother had stepped inside through the window. And with that she ran into the kitchen. She didn’t see her mother rolling her eyes at her antics while she hung up her coat. 

Gothel walked towards her armchair and had just sat down, when Rapunzel came back, bouncing. She held a plate in her hands. „Look mother! I drew some designs on our plates and burned them in the oven!“ She showed her the plate that was now decorated with tiny flowers, berries, mushrooms and hazelnuts. „That’s really pretty my dear.“ Her mother said tiredly „And how did you do that?“ She gave her back the plate and stemmed her head onto her hand. „Oh I just experimented with some of the colours you brought me… I thought: If those work on unburnt pottery, might as well try it on burned one! I just mixed aditional water and clay with them and…“ She paused and looked at her mother „Oh, are you tired? Do you want me to sing for you?“

Gothel smiled at her „That would be very kind of you dear.“ She watched her daughter jump up again to get the brush and bent down to pull her hair up into her lap. A few moments later she sighed while the healing magic flodded her veins.

The next morning, as Gothel stepped into the kitchen she almost stumbled backwards at the sight… her daughter had taken out all their pottery and was immersed in her work, painting them. She rubbed her temples with her fingers and asked „Rapunzel? What in the world is this!?“   
„Oh! Good Morning mother!“ Her daughter exclaimed cheerfully, looking up from her work, beaming „I’m decorating the dishes!“ She winced as she heard her mother groan and say „Yes! I can see that! Why are you doing that now? How are we supposed to eat like this?“ Rapunzel immediately got cheerful again, displaying a disarming smile she said „Oh, don’t worry, I already finished a couple of plates. We can use those!“ 

Gothel rolled her eyes „And were are we supposed to prepare the food like this? There’s dishes everywhere! You know how I hate messiness!“ Rapunzel winced but still wasn’t thrown off track „I know, I know mother. How about we just have a nice little breakfast at the sitting window? Just like when I was little? I’ll bring everything in a few minutes, just get the blanket.“ She smiled at her mother hopefully, who just turned around to walk out of the kitchen, grumbling „You and your harebrained ideas…“ 

Now Rapunzel looked down at her work „I thought you liked it…“ she said quietly but her mother had heard „What was that? Speak up or keep quiet, child!“ she said while standing in the door. „Uh… I just said… I thought you like the designs on the dishes, mother.“ Rapunzel answered

Her mother sighed „Oh I do like them. They’re very pretty, like all you do, dear.“ Then after turning around, added „I’d just wish you’d have the brain to wreak havoc on my kitchen, while I’m away, so I don’t have to see it. One would think you have enough time on your hands as it is…“

 

„That was a clever move, my flower“ her mother smiled at her proudly and Rapunzel beamed back at her. She had just taken another of her mothers pawns in their chess match. Now she had almost all of them as well as a bishop. Her mother was looking at the board calculatingly, before moving her rook. 

Rapunzel immediately noticed what she was going to do and moved her knight. She was often reacting on impulse while playing the game. Gothel smirked.

„Now that… was a dumb move.“ She moved her queen to attack her daughters and smirked while Rapunzel whined and shoved her hands onto her face. „You’ll never learn it Rapunzel do you?“ she said airily as she took her daughters queen and watched as Rapunzel frantically sought a way to escape „It’s never smart to save a weaker piece if you leave a more powerful one open for attack. All I had to do was compliment you and you got careless. You’re just too guileless, child.“

„Hah!“ She heard her daughter say. Rapunzel had beaten her mothers rook with her knight and was now maybe one move away from putting her king in check. Gothel grumbled and looked at the board again „Fools luck…“


End file.
